LISA TILDER
A CELEBRATION OF LIFE KNOWLTON SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE 2016 JANUARY 23 COLUMBUS OH
INTRODUCTION The following is a collection of personal tributes from the students of Lisa Tilder presented on January 23rd, 2016 at the Knowlton School of Architecture as an acknowledgement of the positive impact Lisa has made in our lives through her teachings. This book is meant to be a physical artifact to represent Lisa’s spirit and generosity towards the generations of students who were a part of her studios/seminars/workshops/etc. The subsequent spreads are each authored by a student of Lisa’s and have been compiled together and organized by date of the corresponding course in reverse order beginning with her final studio. The left page of each spread contains a short text with a reflection, story, or memory expressing how Lisa Tilder individually affected the student. The adjacent (right) page is an image, photograph, or drawing from the student’s time with Lisa as their instructor to accompany the aforementioned text. The latter section of the book is a collection of submissions we received from students by association, students turned long-time friends, study abroad students, actual long-time friends, and colleagues. This collaborative effort is a reflection of our love, respect, and appreciation for Lisa Tilder’s selflessness as an educator. As presented in the following pages, Lisa has influenced generations of students in unique, significant ways. This collection of personal experiences reinforces how important it is to appreciate and treasure the relationships that form between professors and students, and most importantly showcases the incredibly positive effect Lisa had on her students and how greatly she will be missed.
CITY OF CITIES I’ve included 2 characters from City of Cities, our Honors Project in the image: Weepy - a cenotaph to perpetual woefulness Schlep - an inverse of the Zoning Resolution of 1916, with an equally inverted attitude. On the very first day of Honors Studio and as a way to get to know her students, Lisa asked each of us about the items we tended to accumulate. She admitted to collecting a multitude of things, but the one that stood out was her flock of furry felines that were seemingly growing in numbers with some degree regularity. Much in the same way, I like to think of Honors Studio as another one of Lisa’s collections - a prized possession of a lucky group of students and their projects. Her office was filled floor to ceiling with models from past studios and mementos from years of teaching and inspiring students. Simply talking with Lisa made me excited about architecture in a way that reminded me of the first time I discovered the potential of what architecture could do. She was always encouraging us to be a little weird - and sometimes even a little offensive - as long as it was in the pursuit of creating a meaningful and insightful project. But most importantly, Lisa made architecture fun. Every day was a spectacular day to be stuck in studio, and it is a honor to be one of the many people touched by Lisa’s amazing and kind personality. We are all a little better for being part of her collection, and the personal investments she has made in each of us will forever impact our lives.
Philip Niekamp
Spring | 2015
CITY OF CITIES Given the shrinking distances between world cities in today’s society, the monument falls intoone of two categories – the nullified monument that has seeped into the traffic circle of daily-dullness or the hyper-monument that becomes an economic generator for the cities it inhabits. The City of Cities, Nowhere (zip code: NTBD) could be a middle-ground. By collecting, characterizing, and transforming these events we intend to prioritize the historical narratives of these cities and breathe new life into them. This project is meant to a critique the history of man within the city and the worthiness of his collected monuments. Lisa, thank you for letting us play with architecture, for laughing at us and with us, and for not getting too offended that we put a parking garage inside the Vatican. Your spirit of subtle playfulness will never be forgotten. -NTBD
Jessica Sprankle
Spring | 2015
RE-IMAGINING ENTROPY Lisa’s sense of humor set her apart. She never took things too seriously and always seemed to find interest in the seemingly ordinary. She respected her students and trusted their designs. She had an ability to see the bright side of things and a possitive attitude to match. Knowing Lisa was an honor and a joy.
Enio Dajko
Spring | 2015
TROJAN HORSES Lisa Tilder was an exemplary studio instructor. Studio’s typically intense and anxious environment turned into an idea-nurturing one where we as students felt equal amongst our instructors. Lisa promoted this supportive culture in our studio which provided for all to succeed. Kristin, Adam and I investigated an architectural application of military tactics, one of which became our theme; the Trojan Horse. We incorporated the likeness of a Trojan Horse, which provided the perfect opportunity to let Lisa’s silly, fun demeanor to shine. She pretended to ride around on one of them and made horse noises. She knew how to lighten the heaviness of this profession with effortless grace, which in turn provided for a perfect final semester experience at Knowlton.
Hannah Perrino, Adam Beverly & Kristin Wyczawski
Spring | 2015
WORLDS OF REM In my experience, it is only at the end of the semester that you really are fortunate enough to realize how much of an impact a professor was on your education and life. Coming away from my semester with Lisa Tilder and Sandhya Kochar, and even to this day, I am astonished with how much work my team and I were able to produce. It was quite easy to tell how much Lisa would invest herself in each and every project. She would share in all the highs and lows of our projects. To me it seemed that Lisa was able to share in the good and the bad throughout our projects, all the while encouraging us that everything would be alright. It was clear that she really cared about her students and wanted each and every one of us to succeed.
Sammy Hasan
Spring | 2015
NEW NEW-BABYLON Lisa Tilder was a very friendly person. She was more than a professor; she was someone who you could get advice on anything. My best memories with her will always be when Justin Villanueva and I got food with her. We talked about a variety of topics: women, partying, studio, Peter Eisenman, laser lab, yes, almost everything. I did not get an A in her studio but I knew I could always count on her to be my friend. Her favorite words to me were “do not get arranged married.� I will miss her a lot. Rest in peace, Lisa.
Sabarinath Sankaranarayanan
Spring | 2015
FLOWING THROUGH A BREWERY Not many students my year had the privilege of being a student of Lisa. There were thirteen of us that had her our junior year. From the first day we met Lisa, I knew we were going to be the luckiest thirteen students of our year; as it turns out, I was right. Our project with Lisa was a brewery in Cincinnati. My favorite part of desk critiques was when something I said made Lisa laugh her perfect little laugh. She epitomized what I felt as though a relationship between a student and professor should be. She was undoubtedly one of the most encouraging, creative, and positive people I have ever met in my life. She changed the way I not only saw architecture but also beyond it into the real world. Most of all, though, she taught me the value of life and how important living outside of your own little world can be. (She also named my project and she just thought it was the funniest thing: “Get it? Flowing, circulation, beer. Ha!�) You will always be missed, Lisa.
Ali Sandhu
Fall | 2014
ERASURE I don’t have any pictures with Lisa, I didn’t know I would wish so badly that I had one. She was a terrific mentor, always pushing critically upon a project until it reached not a conclusion but an interesting problem. She was loud, and absurd, and deeply supportive. She was likely to try and wear your project as a hat. I think we all learned through her that architecture could be play and deadly serious at the same time. Her involvement with my final studio project “Erasure” put me on the track of investigation I took into my exit review and work in today. She and Stephen influenced me profoundly as educators, and are also my friends. She not shown here directly, but I think you can see the specter of her mind at work in all the students she touched. Thank you Lisa, you are dearly missed.
Jonathan Beech
Spring | 2014
POMOXIS pee-wee, postmodernism and pomoxis Tell me all about it (Enthusiastic)! Yes, you missed the mark (Honest). Tell me all about it (Enthusiastic). Well that’s pretty darn good (Passionate). Let’s make things! And don’t forget to make things! Keep moving. Keep thinking. Keep pushing. Let’s make things! And don’t forget to make things! Keep moving. Keep thinking. Keep pushing. Don’t forget to laugh (Absurd)! Complete the thought. Fill the holes and sweep the floors (Thorough). And don’t forget to laugh (Playful)! Now, let’s show off (Pride)! Thank you for working so hard (Grateful).
Abby Arnold
Fall | 2013
POMOXIS “The moment of your greatest joy sustains: not axe nor hammer, tumor, tremor, can take it away, and it remains. It remains.” –Joanna Newsom, “Time, As a Symptom” It was probably known that I was not the most dedicated student, but I would do almost anything for Lisa Tilder. I never saw the point in slaving away in studio, but Lisa’s studio was the only one I was glad to return to at 1 a.m. after a movie, concert, whatever fun thing I was doing to get away from KSA. I adored Lisa, and Stephen, and all they have inspired in me. The closest I’ve ever come to being a revolutionary was under Lisa. We even penned a manifesto, built a Borgesian spaceship to take over the universe. We will all ultimately converge at platitudes, but nevertheless: Lisa meant a lot to me, and this is the simple truth. So, to Lisa, thank you for the adventures in architectural exploration. In the words of T.S. Eliot: Not fare well, But fare forward, voyager.
Liz Dang
Fall | 2013
POMOXIS : The Library of Exile A Progress Letter from the Library of Exile™ to Lisa Tilder: Removed from context, the Library has become a self-contained [reflection] of what architecture has ever had to offer. A floating world, or rather worlds, of something perhaps authentic, but authenticity was never interesting. The pursuit of pleasure has remained ever-present, but in such a way as to luxuriantly engender the subconcious machinations. Is this perhaps the excess? Which leaves us ever asking the same question, this time, to be unaccompanied: “Where do we go?” The answer will require reading Bataille, and binge watching David Lynch’s Twin Peaks.
Marcus Myerholtz
Fall | 2013
PATTERNING CUTENESS It wasn’t quite PeeWee’s Playhouse, but it was the most fun I’d had in studio. We were mapping the trajectories of postmodernism, and my partners and I were turning architectural icons into tiny suburbanites. Lisa saw our first little hand-sewn felt model and we went off on a tangent about cuteness and we stayed there. Every time we showed her a new iteration, she cracked up, and we wrote down notes like “landscape Jesus” and “urban felties” and kept going until we ended up with a studio project we’ll never forget. Lisa was one of the smartest and most hilarious people I’ve ever known. You could talk with her about anything. She said whatever was on her mind, and it was usually crazy, and always smart. We’ll always love her.
Shawna Foley
Fall | 2013
PATTERNING CUTENESS I look back on this project as one of the most interesting, most ridiculous and most important projects I have ever done. And that was always the most fantastic part of being in Lisa’s studio. Her endless enthusiasm for architecture would lead her students to the most unique projects. We went to the library and rented episodes of ‘Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.’ We sat in studio knitting and sewing and pinning for an entire semester, trying to figure out what qualities could make architecture ‘cute.’ We built more models than we could find space for. We were told “I have no idea how to critique this, but it is super interesting.” And somewhere along the way we all created some of our best work, none of which would have been possible without Lisa’s unwavering encouragement and guidance. We never would have found QTopia alone.
Brian Peterson
Fall | 2013
PATTERNING CUTENESS I don’t think many would consider watching episodes of Pee Wee’s Playhouse as a traditional introduction but for some reason it worked when entering the world of Lisa Tilder - a little offbeat, entertaining as hell, colorful, vibrant and strangely familiar. In a culture so self-possessed and so self-absorbed, Lisa was enigma, part mentor, part friend and a part of you that you don’t often embrace. You don’t really meet people like Lisa Tilder you become engulfed by them. In saying that I ‘met’ Lisa the spring semester of my G2 year, where she revisited Jeff Kipnis’ Pee Wee Studio and explored the trajectory of POMO. As I assume it goes, we quickly dropped Pee Wee and began to explore boundaries of architecture, or in my case began to knit, sew and caricaturize architecture. Lisa lovingly referred to us as the ‘cuties’ and through her we began to look at the realm of possibilities of cute and soft architecture. I think when you’re engulfed in Lisa’s process, you don’t fully understand the merit of making Hieronymus Bosch inspired felt triptychs or stuffed animal versions of Villa Savoye (aka “Pillow Savoye”) or the Ontario College of Art & Design (aka “Stinky Cheese Man”). In the end however you realize the realm of possibility Lisa’s process presents and the innovative and creative offbeat world of architecture that could exist. With Lisa, architecture can laugh at itself, something I’m sure that reflected Lisa’s own carefree attitude. Her attitude, her charm, her warmth and her ability to see beyond the marble and glass confines of Knowlton endeared her to students. We quickly bonded over a shared name (Our usual exchange of “Hi Lisa!”/”Hi Lisa!” followed always by laughter) and the many baked goods I would bring into studio and I think it’s in those memories that I most fondly remember Lisa, although in all honesty, I don’t think any memory of Lisa could be defined otherwise. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of such an amazing person and I think I share in the sentiment that her spirit forever imprints anyone who had an opportunity to know Lisa. More simply put,Thank you Lisa Tilder.
Lisa Snyder
Fall | 2013
ON PROVOCATION AND DELIGHT Nearing graduation Lisa asked me where I wanted to work. I said Herzog & de Meuron. She didn’t flinch or look uneasy, but just said, “you better fucking do it.” She had this scary defiance towards self-doubt and looked past everything but potential. She had this magic that brought together three unlikely souls--Melissa Poeppelman, John Myers, and myself--for our final graduate studio; it was the quintessential pedagogical underdog story. She regularly provoked us to follow our hunches, while qualifying, “it better not suck,” and was delighted when we didn’t let her down. I’m nearing a year and a half at Herzog & de Meuron and still get chills everytime I hear her words of belief in me. She gave me a way of working, a passion, and the confidence for both. I’m so thankful for her life, her iconoclastic influence, and her radical passion she so freely shared. I miss you, Lisa.
Josh Helin
Fall | 2013
ON PROVOCATION AND DELIGHT I could’ve been in a studio with Doug or Lisa. Doug intimidated me and Lisa made me laugh. Done. Lisa tasked our studio to develop a taxonomy or definition of Post Modernism, born of Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Charles Jencks. Lisa took the time to teach us through subtle challenges, giddy support, and a thirst or expectation for more which we aimed to quench. Our group chose to pursue the idea of excess throughout Post Modernism specifically by repurposing Rem Koolhaas and OMA’s S,M,L,XL then into Madelon Vriesendorp’s Object Archive. Lisa’s ability to see, encourage, and extract creativity and humor in the forms of sarcastically perverse and gluttonous Architectural kitsch, pushed our group to greater excess. Lisa meant everything in our pursuit of excess, giving us more than we could ever hope to return in the form of campy over-the-top models and drawings.
John Myers
Fall | 2013
ON PROVOCATION AND DELIGHT Lisa - First off, thank you for the time I was able to spend with you and for encouraging me to be ‘different’ - to encourage weirdness and to be simply amused by it. I will never forget all the adventures in Italy with you as well as the laughter shared in G3 studio on obtaining random materials from local Columbus businesses for our Parc de la Villette model (pictured). Secondly, thank you for being an awesome role model to all of the students that were lucky enough to have you as a professor. Your studio always had the most unique final reviews with the biggest crowds, and a variety of final production items that would make everyone jump on the waiting list for your studio next. You have been such an amazing inspiration to us all and I can’t thank you enough. You are deeply missed.
Melissa Poeppleman
Fall | 2013
POSITIONING THE VOID When I think back about my brief time at Knowlton, the most impactful memories I recall were the countless hours of thoughtful contemplation and architectural discussion spent crafting my Exit Review talk with Lisa. As my adviser, she was a confidant and sounding board for any and all ideas as we worked through the social, theoretical and physical constructs of a void. During a time when students stress and scramble around questioning this or that architectural position, Lisa was a solid, calming presence creating positive and constructive atmospheres. I truly cherish the time I was able to spend with her. The image to the right, Michael Heizer’s ‘Levitated Mass’, is a phenomenological example of how massive voids create a higher sense of being at a human scale. When I think of Lisa, I always remember this photo and am grateful to have experienced her architectural influence, warmth and spunk.
Susan Troski (Butts)
Spring | 2013
THE ARTIFACTS OF FLATNESS Lisa Tilder meant so many things to me. She was (first and foremost) a studio instructor, but also a close friend, and a much needed professional confidant during my final years at the KSA. Lisa encouraged me to embrace my quirkiness as a designer, to provoke the unconventional, and continually sought to see value within every feeble design attempt throughout my studios with her. She also provided guidance outside of studio when I was applying for graduate school, which I would not be where I am today without her insight. She was critical, caring, and knew when to tell funny stories of her cats in times of stress or when to meet for ice cream to share jokes and celebrate. I am forever grateful to have known her, and she will continue to be in my thoughts as I grow as a design professional.
Elise Bluell
Spring | 2013
THE ARTIFACTS OF FLATNESS I could write about many things I learned under Lisa’s tutelage... There is no shortage of examples; however, I would rather contribute a memory of a moment shared with her. It was during an end of the year potluck for our studio, her presence in itself is a wonderful example of Lisa’s fun-loving charm, when she and I coincidentally found ourselves slinking out of the house on Woodruff Ave at just the same moment. We waved goodbye to a few friends standing on the porch and then she held out her hand with a grin and suggested, “We may was hold hands, leaving on such ‘suspicious’ circumstances.” Lisa chuckled and so did I. Hands to ourselves, we carried together on for a block or so before saying our own farewells. It wasn’t a profound experience... But, it’s a memory I have returned to often and still makes me smile.
Jesse Hall
Spring | 2013
BREEDING As a thesis studio instructor, Lisa was able to critically refine and encourage our research concept, ultimately resulting in a thesis that was at once thoughtful and fun. During interviews and reviews, it is the project in my portfolio that is commented on most frequently. At the close of a rigorous semester, Lisa joined the entire studio for a party at my charmingly dilapidated college house. She brought an ice cream cake and a pinata and was the life of the party.
Steph Conlan, Carly Maggio, Victoria Mckenna & Emily Mohr
Spring | 2013
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BREEDING This image was never used in any review or put into a portfolio. Just a process collage … but I remember how much you liked it. That’s what made each week fun, your excitement over ideas that most of the time, were pushed aside as we kept moving. I miss that fun, I don’t have it anymore. Your studio allowed us to resist self-doubt and take risks with our projects. And what I remember isn’t the big moments, the reviews, but our week to weeks. Our studio huddled around in a back corner, surrounded by pin-up boards with hundreds of photos of us stapled to it – the Knowlton Spawn – just talking about architecture. You’re too cool for this sappiness, I’m sorry, but I love you Lisa Tilder, and will forever appreciate you as an instructor, a woman in architecture, and a friend.
Steph Conlan
Spring | 2013
BREEDING Bernard Tschumi may have made his red scarf famous in the architectural world but Tilder made her scarf famous within Knowlton. When you had Tilder for a studio professor you could count on the scarf being front and center like a sidekick or enthusiastic teaching assistant. As you presented your work she would animate the scarf, bringing it to her face, sometimes she’d cover her eyes or her mouth or even her whole face. You could begin to interpret her reaction based on the scarfs position like a primitive language. Although it’s not an exact science you quickly learn that 95% of the time the scarf is just there to physically hold in her excitement. Tilder taught us to find excitement in all projects, and to love the endless possibilities of a simple or strange idea. Thanks Lisa.
Carly Maggio
Spring | 2013
DENATURING : Capriccios Lisa always cared. This is not a simple thing, and for a professor with so many students, it was encouraging to always feel her constant involvement and passion for teaching. She cared more about the how than the what, and focused on all of our different ways of learning. This is one of the numerous ways she showed her selflessness. I am always reminded of her humor (craziness) and enthusiasm. It is something I will surely keep with me, as she so humbly gave it to us all.
Luke Anderson
Spring | 2013
DENATURING : Capriccios The impact Lisa Tilder has had on my thought, work, and position in the world has been immense. Her work with us in the 2013 honors studio set the groundwork for the critical inquiry that would come later in my pursuits. This continues today. Her joy in architecture and belief in its importance in the world was contagious. I’m thankful for her love of our discipline, and I’m confident and delighted that her penchant for the wacky, the wild, and the playfully serious will continue through the work of her students.
Wes Hiatt
Spring | 2013
DENATURING : Capriccios The thing that stays with me the most about Lisa’s teaching is experimental. This project is more experimental than that one, that school is better because they are willing to experiment, etc. She was always pushing us to be part of this, to experiment more, and to embrace the peculiarity and strangeness of the places that these experiments went. It was easy to tell that we were on the right track when whatever we were showing for studio that day made her hide her face in her scarf, equal parts intrigued and disturbed by what we had made. That was how we knew we had begun to see the uncanny, strange, and ultimately wonderful world of possibilities to which her teaching had taken us.
Tyler Kvochick
Spring | 2013
DENATURING : Capriccios Sometime in 2011, I walked into the Banvard Gallery, which had on display a selection of student work titled Succulent Section. I found a project of my own hanging, mounted to board and, surprised to see it there, I asked Lisa (she submitted it) why it was up. It was one of only two that were not section drawings, but rendered images. She told me, “because it was a sectional project, don’t you think?” And in fact, it hadn’t occurred to me; I had only thought of it as an object. I still remember that exchange every time I remember to examine a project at an unfamiliar angle. I am one of a lucky few to have Lisa as studio instructor twice during my time at Knowlton. I think walking the line between guidance and instruction came naturally to Lisa. She kept us moving with purpose and always held a curious interest, I think because she got as much out of our conversations as she did. I’ll always remember Lisa for her humor, and I’ll always remember our conversations. She will forever be one of Knowlton’s best.
Drew Grandjean
Spring | 2013
DISFIGURED : The Stuffies Having Lisa as the leader for a fourth year thesis studio naturally resulted in the production of goofy claymations and gigantic stuffed animals that took over the big stairs of Knowlton. Thank you Lisa for not only supporting but encouraging us to question the norms, and for covering your giggles in your scarf when our ideas had no ground in reality. Your legacy of influence will provoke all of us in our futures as designers and thinkers.
Mary Lange, Sana Khwaja, Erik Schmitt, Benjamin Pacheco & Mengging Chen
Spring | 2013
URBANADE : A City-Building Investigation I met Lisa as a junior undergrad in the first of two studios that I would take with her. As a warm-up to the class, something of an icebreaker and a way for her to get to know the kids, she had each student answer three questions: What’s your name? Where are you from? and What was the name of your first pet? The first two questions are fairly straightforward. Dustin. DC. The third, however, would be in reference to a dog my family had when I was quite young. She was a shepherd and black lab mix, who we called Snowflake. Lisa took a liking to this, and from then on would often refer to me as “Snowflake,” which was always accompanied by a little laugh.”
Dustin Page
Spring | 2013
DENATURING : Architecture Re-imagined Lisa Tilder was a creative, loving, and kind individual. She was simultaneously a mentor, friend, and colleague working with and guiding me in graduate studio with her expertise and knowledge. It was easy to see how much she cared about her students and colleagues by her level of dedication and involvement every day. I remember meeting with Lisa to talk about my exit review project the last semester at Knowlton. I was struggling to gain traction on a subject or process, and she was so helpful and kind, taking time out of her already busy schedule and going out of her way to send me titles of books to read and reference and some ideas on where to start. Her shining example of self-sacrifice and love for others really changed a community of students, professors, and a college. She will be greatly missed, but always remembered. Thank you Lisa.
Andrew Jackson
Fall | 2012
DENATURING : Taxonomy\\Trajectory We used social media software to organize canonical projects in an abstract cloud of space. We then analyzed the created conditions and pulled out moments of architectural interpersonal interactions and applied personality to refine or define architectural typologies. The same canonical examples emerged to form distinct, focused trajectories across modern architectural thought as a whole. The taxonomy exists as a social media web of various relationship statuses between the various projects on our defined evolutionary trajectories.
Matt Toddy, Justin Turley, Morteza Karimi & Michael Talmon
Fall | 2012
DENATURING : Weapons of Mass Destruction Architecture explained through the ideas of weapons and robots on a battlefield. Lisa loved the idea and pushed us further in every session to come up with new thoughts about the project. Architecture as a weapon. Her studio pushed us out of the norm of a typical architectural studio. We pushed ourselves harder in this studio than any other project because she was even more excited about our project and ideas than we were. We put in our best effort for her because we knew she was doing the same for us. Not only did she care about the class, she cared about us on a personal level. It’s rare to see a professor care so much about the students. Her personality, compassion, passion for teaching and everything she did, made her one of the most amazing and memorable people we will ever come across.
Tony Nguyen, Sean Zielinski & Dickson Whitney
Fall | 2012
DENATURING : A Drama in Three Parts, Terroir Games “Oh my god,” she said, covering her mouth with her scarf, “what is that smell?” “It’s a large batch of agar, it’s like a growth medium for bacteria,” I responded timidly. “It smells disgusting, I can smell it from across the room. What is it made of?” “It’s basically sugar, gelatin, water, and beef bouillon brought to a boil and then left to cool in the model--” I was cut off abruptly. “Beef? Oh my god beef-boy!” her face lit up with glee, “I’m calling you beef boy from now on.” My mouth was hanging open, “please don’t, that’s horrible.” “Was this your idea?” “Well,” I said, looking at my partners, “I guess.” “Then you are beef-boy now.” She covered her face with the scarf and moved on to the next project. I miss you Lisa. Thank you for everything you did for me and my friends. I will never forget you.
Jeffrey Anderson
Fall | 2012
DENATURING : A Drama in Three Parts When I think of Lisa I am immediately reminded of her uncontrollable laughter. It varied from the cautious, shocked laugh when she heard that our mold model was beginning to smell, to the nervous laugh when she broke my model that she was so happily playing with, to the excited laugh that she just couldn’t stop during my team’s final video premiere. But it didn’t matter which laugh it was because it will always remind me that the best outcomes are often reached through the most absurd, laughter inducing experiments. Lisa encouraged my team to make games, to grow mold, to bury drawings, to make films and to take a break when it was necessary - all unconventional techniques in a typical studio. Lisa taught me to take a chance and try something new and then laugh and learn from the experience.
Antoinette DelVillano
Fall | 2012
DENATURING : A Drama in Three Parts Lisa Tilder was unquestionably one of the most supportive professors I had during my education. She had a gift to somehow remove any sense of self-consciousness or self-doubt from her courses. This was a rare experience I was fortunate enough to encounter because of having Lisa for both a seminar and a studio. Reflecting back, the graduate research studio entitled De-Naturing was the most important course of my academic training in architecture and marked a personal turning point, forever changing the way I think and work. Lisa Tilder’s positivity, creativity, and openness as a professor produced incredibly interesting and fun student work, while simultaneously remaining serious and challenging. The structure of Lisa’s studio taught us the value of collaboration. She enabled us to believe in our ideas and hunches, constantly pushing us forward. Lisa brought out a child-like excitement in me during this studio and her encouragement, guidance, and lessons will remain with me always.
John Yurchyk
Fall | 2012
LAND ART GENERATOR Lisa Tilder was much more than a professor she was someone that I considered a friend. I learned a great deal from Lisa in my three years at Knowlton both in and out of the classroom. Whether it was a classroom discussion, a long talk in her office about my current project, or just chatting with her in a bar as we celebrated the successful end of the semester, her fun spirit and kind heart helped me to find confidence in myself and my work. Because of Lisa and Stephen I look back on my time at Knowlton as a period that really shaped my life and who I am today. With Lisa as my official advisor and Stephen as my unofficial advisor I had a wonderful couple looking out for me and offering advice when I needed it.
Elizabeth Schneider
Fall | 2012
Subnature:
Taxonomy of ArchiNature Phylum
Cannaregio Proposal Grotto Peter Eisenman Aranda\Lasch
Underground Houses Villa Vals Philippe Rahm SeARCH &Mueller
Blow Out Lars Spuybroek
B_mu Tower R&Sie(n)
Pruitt-Igoe Minoru Yamasaki
Irish Pavilion Tom DePaor
Hiroshima Collage Arata Isozaki
Robin Hood Gardens Deformscape P. & A. Smithson Faulders Studio
Stranded Sears Tower Magic Mountain Greg Lynn AMID, Cero9
The White Suit Coop Himmelblau
Four Days Later Laura Kurgan
Pilot Plant NL Architects
Clean Air Pod Ant Farm
Engaging with Fears... Somerset House William Chambers An Te Liu
Open Columns Omar Khan
Mosquito Bottleneck Pigeonnier R&Sie(n) Viollet-le-Duc
Cloud Nine Buckminster Fuller
Pigeon Capsule Matali Crasset
STRAT () COLUMBUS I had the pleasure of having Lisa as my studio professor in both my junior and senior years at the KSA. Both projects pushed me to think much differently than I normally would have. Desk crits with Lisa often resulted in a new wrench being thrown onto the project, but her push to explore further always generated a stronger idea. I learned to experiment with project process; leap-frogging back and forth between the desired product and given research. Most importantly, I learned from Lisa that it’s good to work with your instincts. Then, take them farther.
Danielle Beltran
Spring | 2012
NEXT DETROIT : Paradise Bubble This project was produced in the third studio I had with Lisa, a piece which remains one of my favorite works from the entirety of my education. The previous two studios had exclusively Lisa expected eccentricities, including a lime jello ‘model’, which she sampled during our final review, and a bakery and bar dappled quarter in Rome. Her spontaneous demeanor and expansive interests encouraged an unhampered pursuit of architectural work. She was an excellent teacher and great friend; the first to take the student - teacher relationship and effortlessly turn it into productive camaraderie. My experience of the school was largely defined by her presence and I will very much miss her in the next steps.
Allison Drda
Spring | 2012
NEXT DETROIT Over the course of my time spent at the KSA I spent three studios and one seminar with Tilder. Lisa molded my views on design and critical discourse. She allowed me to flourish under her tutelage by influencing my tastes and tendencies while becoming not only a mentor but a good friend along the way. Our time together culminated in her honors research studio. Our work in that studio set a precedent for future studios of hers and really showed how our collaborations with her shaped our future architectural endeavors. Lisa was one of us, while she lead she also knew when to step back and let us inform the project. You see in the image at the right, even when it came to be on the jury she chose to stand with us, having our back, defending our project together. Lisa had a tremendous influence on my work and I will be forever grateful for everything she has given me. To my friend, mentor, and professor, I thank you so much for the incredible journey you steered, you are one of a kind and will never be forgotten but will always be missed.
Joshua Kuhr
Spring | 2012
A PAGEANT As Laura Meade, Sam Ren, and I screened a film of a mangled geodesic puppet seducing Le Corbusier’s cowhide chaise lounge, I remember Lisa hiding beneath her scarf, eyes peeking and laughing. The film was a fragment of our Senior Thesis project, which Lisa was advising, and a terrible amount of fun. Throughout the process, and throughout my several other experiences working directly under her guidance, Lisa never failed to be remarkably insightful, perpetually thoughtful, and tirelessly devoted to her work and to her students. No one has had a heavier hand in my education. But moments like that one near the end of my time at Knowlton remind me of my favorite things about Lisa—joy, delight, an irrepressible wonderment at the strangeness of it all. As the film puts all too bluntly, Lisa always took the bland, the affected, the unbearably dry and brought it to life.
Julian Funk
Spring | 2012
SUBURBAN SCENOGRAPHY Lisa changed my life. This is the best compliment I can imagine offering to such a devoted professor and friend. My life is now better because of the time that Lisa spent with me. I was fortunate enough to learn from her throughout three studios, in Italy and during Honors seminar. She instilled a paradoxical nature that required a critical lens, but that lens was three times too big for your face and surrounded by pink frames. Lisa is still with me now and she will be a part of any design I make for the rest of my life. I believe that is the case for every one of the students she has taught. Her impact on the discipline is immense and has just begun.
Anthony Gagliardi
Spring | 2012
SUBURBAN SCENOGRAPHY Lisa embodied a relentless passion to teach and guide both in studio and beyond. She was a constant source of inspiration for everyone regardless if they had the opportunity to be in her studio. The studio as well as the Honor’s project final year was filled with contagious laughter and high spirits that kept us moving and excited to work with her. I will never forget all the stories at desk crits - the sheer charisma and heart that she approached design. She cared so deeply about each of us regardless of our background or skill level. Lisa would always start each term selecting nicknames for students, mine was Duchess. With this name you were silently taken under her projection and admiration at school, it’s a lasting memory that I will never forget. Lisa was a beacon of light at Knowlton and will continue to inspire me for years to come.
Patrick Herron
Spring | 2012
SUBURBAN SCENOGRAPHY Thank you Lisa for showing me just how fun and whimsical architecture can be. The way I was thought to think about architecture during this studio is something that I have carried with me into the real world and I find myself looking back at this project for inspiration from time to time. I will never forget the time we had a desk crit and after the boys were finished talking, you looked at me and said, “you did this, didn’t you?,” which I thought was the kindest way anyone had ever told me to speak up and gave me a sense of confidence in what I was doing. Thanks for that and for giving me a final undergraduate studio filled with so much laughter.
Lindsay Mitchell
Spring | 2012
SUBURBAN SCENOGRAPHY The restless critique of architecture, its techniques, discourses and devices, undertaken by Lisa in her design studios, pushed the work her students farther in a single term than most professors could ever hope. I am grateful to have been her student and feel lucky to have considered her a friend. Lisa will be greatly missed.
Jonathan Rieke
Spring | 2012
LAND ART GENERATOR COMPETITION Cats, cats, cats. Lisa loved her cats. I’ll never forget when John Yurchyk and I were asked to take care of Stephen and Lisa’s cats. We were given specific verbal instructions, only to arrive at their house to find a large, and even more detailed set of directions. We followed each step and by then end we loved these animals. Cats have a weird way of reminding me of the people that love them the most and Lisa is definitely one of these people. This is obviously not the only way I will remember the great person Lisa was, but it will be the way that happens the most often. She was always there to support myself and fellow students. Personally, she would push me to strive for greatness at all things in life, not just architecture.
Paul Adair
Spring | 2012
LAND ART GENERATOR COMPETITON Before I became her student, I already liked Lisa. She would make faces as she waited patiently, sometimes impatiently, for Stephen to wrap up our studio at the end of the day. As her student, I loved her. Lisa was so fun, so easy to talk with. She was brilliant, quirky, radiant, unconventional. A fellow cat lover, a bright spirit with a hearty, crazy laugh. Our projects took such unexpected delightful journeys. With her guidance, an originally tame competition entry idea turned into a published steampunk robotic zoo. Then, while half of my G3 colleagues got Graf lectures for studio, my team took up knitting and explored the implications a soft ‘cutie’ architecture. Lisa celebrated the strange with joyous enthusiasm. She challenged us to question things we never thought to question. Ever encouraging, supportive, and generous. Lisa, I’m so grateful to have known you.
Natalie Snyder
Spring | 2012
CROW-O-ZONE Thank you for being such a powerful inspiration to me and so many others. Your life has made our world a better place, and your brilliance and energy will never be forgotten. Crow Caws.
Melinda Emery
Winter | 2012
CROW-O-ZONE Lisa was my instructor for Gui studio during my final year at Knowlton, and the model pictured here was completed by my partner and I after three back-to-back sleepless nights. During the last stretch the only thing that kept us going was Lisa Tilder perched at the next desk over, who, for twelve hours, barely left our sides. She was a woman of many enthusiasms. Among the vast scope of her unique interests, though, her love for teaching was apparent. Lisa was an indelible critic who cultivated an environment for those that were curious, encouraging us to believe that whimsy and reality both have a place in architecture and in life. She was a great instructor and a better friend. To have known her is an enormous privilege, and this school, this discipline, and this world are blessed to have such a beautiful life to celebrate.
Stephanie Jones
Winter | 2012
CULTURAL ULTRASOUNDS I have not experienced another creative learning environment as inspiring as a Tilder studio. The idea space was expansive and fluid, her influence present but not pervading. It was an empowering environment to work in, and one I constantly wish to replicate. She could simultaneously direct you but allow for development of a strong sense of personal ownership of an idea. She provided an environment where one could seek their own creative identity. In Cultural Ultrasounds we defined various environments as culture, religion, history, technology, economy, ‘nature’, etc., and tried to understand how an identity emerged from a particular environment at a particular time. I want to thank Lisa for providing the educational environment that served as a catalyst for the evolution of my own identity. She was the epitome of an incredible educator.
Reese Greenlee
Winter | 2012
NORTH MARKET FOOD TRUCK DEPOT Lisa was a teacher, a friend, a mentor, and a brilliant architect. I attribute to her both my confidence to pursue provocative, thoughtful designs and my determination to find success as a female designer after leaving the KSA. Lisa lovingly called the project at right ‘The Fiiinnggeerrrrs,’ in an eerie voice that I am sure is easy to imagine. Though it was completed over four weeks during one of my first design studios, I consider it one of the smartest and most mature designs in my portfolio. I feel so lucky to have been her student.
Emily Mohr
Fall | 2011
BIG BOX REBIRTH Our site visit to the SWACO landfill was one of the most memorable and hilarious. The landfill was supposed to pick us up in front of Knowlton in a big yellow school bus but the driver had passed up the building altogether. To get the bus driver’s attention (and to make us laugh), Lisa started chasing the bus down Woodruff, yelling “That’s for us! That’s for us!” and flailing her arms in her typical animated fashion. Lisa and our class had a good laugh after that. In the end, that studio was filled with many more laughs, tons of hard work, and Lisa’s meaningful critiques. She was a great mentor to me and it was my favorite studio that I took at Knowlton.
Matt Quijada
Fall | 2011
WHOLE FOODS AT NORTH MARKET Lisa was more than a professor for me, she became one of my close friends during and after my time at OSU. She gave me the confidence I needed to take chances and the knowledge to help me reach my goals. Her disposition towards architecture’s humorous side has since stayed with me and become part of me. All of my work continues to embody a piece of Lisa in it. I will never again be able to take architecture seriously because of her, and I thank her for that, otherwise I would not have developed into the person and designer I am today.
Kara Biczykowski
Fall | 2010
WHOLE FOODS MARKET
TRASH MOUNTAIN : America’s Next Funpark! All of the projects I made with Lisa take place in a vague alternate reality called “The Future.” Strange things could happen there: a landfill could become a novelty attraction, the entire population of Rome could move to a sky-city to make way for tourism, Detroit could be physically torn apart by warring Trash Mountain was her favorite because it looked the most like a South Park episode. A lot of people never learn that architecture is, above all, a tool for dreaming---hypothetically, critically, or just plain hysterically. Those poor saps never knew Lisa.
Emma Silverblatt
Fall | 2010
DECADE OF LOSS : The Lost Oughts (‘00’s) Lisa inspired us to think big and to believe that architects can and should have a voice in the world. She instilled in us the value of critical architecture and the duty of architects to confront dominant powers head on, while always seeking the truth. This image is from our entry with MUTT Collaborative to the 2010 Chicago Prize Competition “Mine the Gap”, showing our proposal to repurpose the vacant foundation of the abandoned Chicago Spire as a space of opportunity in the face of The Lost Oughts. Revisiting the project text, the questions Lisa raised are the questions that have stayed with me to this day: How can we create opportunity through architecture? What can architecture do in the face of uncertainty? How can architecture ignite the imagination?
Ryan Connolly
Spring | 2010
NEXT NATURE : A Critique of Human Instrumentalism “Next Nature cannot measure its impact only on humanity’s relationship to nature as we know it, but to nature as it evolves without us”. -Lisa Tilder, Land Art Generator Competition Studio Extracted from a studio session with Tilder, she had the innate ability of illuminating the theoretical argument of your project right at the moment when you believed everything was superfluous. She armed you with what was necessary for the intimidation that was her collection of final review critics: outsiders Sean Lally of Weathers and Nathan Hume of SuckerPunch, and of our hermetic institution, Jeffrey Kipnis and Stephen Turk. I believe there ended up being 8 critics in total but ultimately a final review that went over really well for a 3rd year undergrad with one minor lapse in pronunciation causing a Kipnis led detour into Attack of the 50 Foot Woman when he heard “fifty” rather than “fifteen”. I have many distinctive memories I can draw from when I think about Tilder, both inside and outside of this studio, the previous studio, and the studio I would have yet again with her. Lisa and Stephen had the biggest influence on me, as they do with most students, because they make an obvious effort to invest in us not only as students, but as long-time friends and future designers and architects. Every opportunity that has come my way since being accepted to graduate school is due in most part to them and their devotion to evolving and developing our projects and theses.
Megan Dixon
Spring | 2010
THNEED : A-fine-something-that-all-people-need The Thneed Dubai draws from Dr. Seuss’s fable, The Lorax, which emphasizes the need for careful consumption of the earth’s resources. It consists of the world’s largest Ferris Wheel, which generates solar energy and clean water for its adjoining agricultural complex. The Wheel powers a series of agricultural robots that work together to transform the arid desert landscape into food crops that are distributed locally. Veil’s of solar panels and desalinization systems synthesize aesthetic effects with energy production. Visitors relax within its series of cultural spaces while observing the dance of the Thneed’s agricultural machines, all the while growing food for the new cities of the UAE. Thneed Dubai is not the cure for all of the ecological problems that face Dubai, but it can serve as an icon for change.
Michael Grieser
Spring | 2010
THNEED : A-fine-something-that-all-people-need Lisa. When I dwell on your memory, I find myself at loss for a specific moment of significance in our friendship. What is most lucid is the space you created for me and my peers to grow as designers and friends. The latter seeming more important these days. You always condoned our desire to take risks, be foolish, and more often then not, fail. When I look at this photo of some glassy eyed fools burning scrap on a beach in Italy, I am gracious. These are still my best friends. Thank you. Best, Ryan
Ryan Whitby
Spring | 2010
ELECTRO STATIC SANDSTORM HARVESTOR Dear Lisa, Thank you. Thank you for being a wonderful professor and friend who taught me with love and care. I often reminisce about the days in Knowlton celebrating reviews, going out for drinks, and going to lectures which usually ended up being the best nap times. They were beautiful times that would have never been as great without you. Thank you for believing in me, and supporting me to follow my passion. Your warm words gave me courage to always go further and work with passion. Had I not met you I probably would have struggled to find out my life’s passion. For that, I am grateful and thankful that you were my professor and friend. You were wonderful. I miss you so much. Love, Jason Lee
Jason Lee
Spring | 2010
ELECTRO STATIC SANDSTORM HARVESTOR More than my teacher, magnificent though she was, Lisa has been my dear friend through the best and bleakest moments of my life. Her intellect and her humor captivated me when I was a student, and in the years that followed her compassion, courage, and kind heart have continued to beg the best of me. I have no doubt that I am but one of many. Thank you, teacher. Thank you my wonderful, beautiful friend.
Robert Scott
Spring | 2010
FUNNELSCAPE It’s impossible to reflect on Knowlton without Lisa’s vivid aura obstructing my view. Every time we crossed paths worries were replaced with trust, anxiety with exhilaration, and fatigue with a small black coffee. There were so many “bad days” immediately remedied by a quick chat and laugh. Your spirit filled that building, that school and our hearts. You brought out the best in everyone. You brought out the best in me. Thanks Tilder.
Lauren Miller
Spring | 2010
WHOLE FOODS AT NORTH MARKET For the person who let us into her life as much as we let her into ours, For the person who choose to laugh when others would have cried, For the person that forgave us when we made mistakes, For the person who kept us sane when we needed it most, For the person that was generous beyond her own benefit, And for the person who encouraged the mediocre to be great, Thank you for believing in us
Tom Pompeani
Fall | 2009
FRANKLIN COUNTY COURTHOUSE : Staged Justice Lisa was my studio critic during my toughest quarter at Ohio State - not only because of academic pressures, being that my class was on the brink of graduation, but also because of personal hardship. This quarter, Lisa not only gave me design feedback, but also gave me support on an emotional level. Her understanding, guidance, and encouragement was truly a blessing. With Lisa, I not only worked out my personal struggles, but also developed my strongest design project at KSA. I won First Place in the Gui Competition this quarter, though when I think back on the project and this period of my life, I remember Lisa as much more than a studio instructor - she was a teacher, a mentor, and above all, a friend.
Amy DeDonato
Winter | 2009
FRANKLIN COUNTY COURTHOUSE : Mediate The American court system distinguishes three main use groups; the public, the judiciary, and the accused. These groups have distinct roles and enter separately through a field of individual tower structures. The courtrooms are located into three dynamic ‘clouds’ that mix the use groups together to sustain a specific purpose and event. The clouds unify the courthouse and create multiple new ground planes above, which introduces new commercial and office program into the towers. It is the juxtaposition of this unique mix of groups, program, and structure that I found interesting. Lisa encouraged me to step out and imagine new form and organization that at the time I didn’t think would be taken seriously. I learned from her that to move a project forward you must take a leap and have some fun. I will always be grateful to Lisa for that.
Kyle Green
Winter | 2009
FRANKLIN COUNTY COURTHOUSE Section perspective from 4th year studio, Winter Quarter 2009, Lisa Tilder as the instructor, the project is a proposal for a new Franklin County Courthouse, television studios, and retail spaces. The design focused on blending the typically isolated functions of a courthouse building into a diverse programmatic section, intertwining high visibility and private spaces with a public pathway that climbs and wraps the tower. As a graduate of both the undergraduate and Masters programs, Lisa was a reoccurring, familiar, and influential part of life at Knowlton. As an instructor, she always seemed to know what was cool and what was good. As a critic, she was helpful in identifying important issues to help projects get better and move forward. I am fortunate that I was able to benefit from Lisa’s expertise and insights on many occasions, and I am also fortunate to have enjoyed her humor and sensibility that was always around the school.
Kevin Parzych
Winter | 2009
TOWER AT NORTHBANK PARK Lisa struck the perfect balance between being an outstanding mentor and a wonderful friend. I feel truly honored to have been her student. Lisa was my studio professor in autumn of 2007 and she shaped my design ideology at the most formative moment in my academic career. I gained so much momentum from that class and truly feel as if it was a turning point for my methods and all of my future work. Lisa made the process of design simple and beautiful. The most striking thing is how effortless it was to learn from her since she made everything so much fun. I could never express the depth of my gratitude to her, but will always try to live up to her standard of insightful and delightful design.
Greg Tran
Fall | 2007
CONEY ISLAND PARACHUTE PAVILION Personally, Lisa was a teacher and mentor who became a colleague, and most importantly, a friend. As a teacher, she struck the unique balance of champion and critic, applauding us when we took risks, encouraging us to pursue zany concepts, but always challenging us to take our work seriously. Lisa earned our respect and adoration with her intelligence, empathy, and humor. I included the project I did for her Parachute Pavilion studio— it was my best work as a student, and she was the reason why. Because of the relationships she cultivated with students, and the exceptional work she was able to get from her studios, I model my own teaching after her. I know Lisa will be missed by many, but for me she is one of the greatest confidants and cheerleaders I have had in my life, and she will always inspire me.
Marc Manack
There are those mentors and leaders among us who transcend purely intellectual positions, and become far more player-coaches. Not merely challenging thinking, they roll up their sleeves and help to build. Not simply pointing out opportunities, they support you as you climb out on the thin limbs venturing into uncertainty. It is at once a unique blend of difficult debate and encouragement. In truth, we all are some portion of each, but few carefully balance both. Lisa did it with ease. She was a mentor and friend in every effort. She will be missed.
Mark Supelak
Winter | 2005
MA Tilder, What can I say...you were one in a million. From sitting in studio in Vivian Hall to dining at the MCL cafeteria at Kingsdale (or trying to) you were by far my biggest inspiration in undergrad. I can’t pick one amazing moment to talk about so I figured I would briefly talk about a couple moments that I always think about when I think of you. My 3rd year in studio I was in Turk’s studio, class had just started. You ran into Turk’s studio and looked right at him and said “Turk I need all of your money now!” In your mind it made perfect sense...you had parked at a meter and you didn’t have any change to fill the meter for class so you needed money from Turk. The expression on his face was priceless and he didn’t really ask any questions he just gave you all his money and then we went on with studio. I still laugh about that moment when I think about you. My other memory of you that is always going to stick out in my mind is not one particular moment but basically my whole 4th year with you. I loved chatting with you about Martha Stewart and how Heather and my project was going to re-brand Martha’s name. From her “Power Tower” to her “minion crafting centers” that was by far one of my favorite projects to work on in undergrad. You made studio so much fun and inspired so many of us to go on to be great Architects. I am sad that we can no longer hear you laugh, I am sad for all the students you had because I know that they feel the same way I do right now, but I am most sad for the students you never had because they will miss out on having an amazing woman shape their young career in architecture. I miss you and I hope that somewhere you are crafting, sitting with cats, and watching Martha plan to take over the world.
Kristin Measamer-Sealey
Lisa was my favorite professor. I remember the joy and energy she brought to every class and review. I knew she would also help us work through our design ideas no matter how crazy, especially the one with Martha Stewart! She allowed us to take our concepts and run with them encouraging and challenging us throughout our sessions. She even fully supported us wearing “Save Martha” aprons during our final review. Her infectious laugh and energy were a memorable part of my time with her and I enjoyed having the opportunity to learn from her and share our project with her.
Heather Dysart Sharp
Fall | 2003
THE HIGHLINE COMPETITION Thank you Lisa for your guidance, your encouragement and your kindness. You influenced me in ways you never knew. I feel very lucky to have known you and honored to have had you as a studio professor and mentor. KSA has lost one of its best. Lisa, you will be greatly missed.
Laura Newcomer Kaldy
Spring | 2003
PANTON CHAIR MUSEUM Lisa was my first “real studio” professor in the Winter of 2000. I was a sophomore, just finishing up the first quarter rotational studio. I was overwhelmed and absolutely terrified of making it through. But an incredible thing happened – Lisa. She was so caring and nurturing of us young students, and really helped us develop into aspiring designers. Lisa was an amazing teacher, mentor, and friend. I think the biggest impact she had on me was after my last studio review senior year. My review went horribly wrong, the worst review of my life. Somehow she heard how awful it was and came to find me. She cheered me up and made realize it was one person’s opinion and it didn’t matter.
Miranda Beystehner (Crecelius)
Winter | 2000
Having never had Lisa Tilder as a teacher, my clearest and most cherished memories are actually from outside the walls of our school, even outside Columbus all together. With this, I will remember Lisa as a mentor and friend – a fact for which I will always feel fortunate. Two memories of time spent with Lisa in particular come to mind. One in Venice (2012), one in Las Angeles (2013). Both centering to a degree on a group’s esoteric obsession for the unfolded buildings/people depicted on this page. Her attendance for each seemed to extend as much as anything out of a loving support and excitement for a man I have now been fortunate enough to count as teacher, colleague, and friend – Stephen Turk. In these times, I got to know Lisa more than ever before, and for it, I will always be thankful. Put simply, Lisa was one of the best people I’ve ever met. She will be sorely missed.
Tim Cousino
Fall | 2012
One of my favorite memories of Lisa is her saying “studio can wait, go explore!”. She had the most wonderful and lively spirit. She encouraged us to explore, both academically, but also the world around us. She led our Italy trip in 2011 and with her encouragement we saw, we explored, and we fell in love with Italian gelato…many times. Lisa was kind person and advisor. She was always willing to talk and give advice. I remember talking about the different graduate programs I was considering and within that short meeting I had a list of one or more former students at every program whom she kept in touch with to contact. She leaves her impression on countless students, on the halls of Knowlton, and for me, the most wonderful trip I’ve been on. “The ones who love us never really leave us” –JK Rowling
Richard Martz
Spring | 2011
Prior to taking a studio with Lisa, I had the great pleasure to be one of her students in Italy. With 20 other students we spent four months traveling throughout the county, visiting historic cities while being introduced to the language, history and culture. While we achieved seeing a majority of the ancient and historic monuments of the county, the trip also looked into modern Italy and how people interact with their ancient surroundings. During the trip we teamed up with local universities in various cities for design charrettes in which we studied this integration of new and old. We also spent many mornings walking the cities that we were visiting. This photo was taken on one of these walks outside of Rome.
Michael Grieser
Spring | 2009
Lisa was always positive and was quick to embrace the fun in life. I ran with an inside joke while on the Italy study abroad trip and made a t-shirt design company as a small project. Lisa loved it and even embraced the Lamb Legs lifestyle. She pushed us to be creative and never let us put limits on our experience. Smile always!
Josh Lowrance
Spring | 2009
I was fortunate enough to have traveled abroad in Italy and spend time with Lisa at the helm my junior year of undergrad. It was an amazing trip, and still to this day, one of the greatest experiences in my life. There were a lot of great moments throughout the trip, which I will never forget, but one memory that jumped to mind when browsing through old photos was the time we shared dinner. At first, it may not sound like much, but it meant the world to me. It was an evening near the end of our time in Rome and a few of us were out for dinner in Campo di Fiori. It was Lisa, myself and a few other students enjoying the sights, food, and of course wine at a restaurant along the Piazza. It was a lively evening filled with fire twirling (unfortunately, this is not a story about that time Lisa twirled fire), light up eye glass salesmen peddling merchandise during dinner, bustling night life, but most importantly amazing conversation about the simple things in life. It amazed me, that while all these other things were happening around us, Lisa took the time to get to know us all on a personal level outside of the classroom. She was very good at getting to know people and connecting with them on personal level. Do I recall our exact conversation? No, but what I do remember is going back to my apartment wishing the night would have lasted forever. She was an amazing, caring, loved professor and friend who will be dearly missed. May your light shine eternal!
Jonathan Blistan
Spring | 2009
Lisa made me and many others see architecture (and life) as something that should be fun and enjoyable while still studying it in a focused manner. This was most evident in our 2008 study abroad in Italy and the countless memories I have of our dinners, discussions and explorations. Lisa was able to teach us, motivate us and make us be excited about architecture like no one I’ve ever experienced. She was more than just an instructor, she was my friend and I will always remember her energy and passion for teaching and the built world.
Tyler Hardie
Spring | 2009
I wanted to send you a pic of Lisa from the 2008 Italy trip to include in your portfolio for her. This is a perfect example of her telling stories to her students as we were going about the city. She had a great way of getting us to think outside our comfort zone and look at the world differently. Her stories were also lessons in disguise of her life experiences for all the students she influenced. While her life was cut short, she lived it fully and fearlessly.
Susan Earp
Spring | 2008
Most of the professors we know we tend to identify by their last name. We do this out of respect. But with Lisa it was different. She always knew how to make us feel welcomed and comfortable. I’m not sure if she knew Paolo Freire, but she practiced a pedagogy of freedom, one where the teacher and the student treated each other as equals. I’ll never forget the way she could empathize with our situation and condition. She understood that when I asked her not to have the university contact my mom about my trip to an Italian emergency room, that I had the best intentions, and that she could trust me. And so she trusted me. I kept my leg, but she reeled at the sight of the draining blood. Lisa was so goofy in her Lisa ways. She’ll forever be remembered as she was – a beloved friend.
Joe Ebert
Spring | 2008
As a student, it’s always exciting to get a glimpse into your professor’s lives and get to view them as “real people”. One of my favorite memories of Lisa is when we ran into her and Stephen at a wedding. We spent almost the entire cocktail hour talkingnot about architecture, but rather the most important topic of conversation; our cats. It was a wonderful peek into the lives of two people who had greatly influenced me. Lisa had a talent unique among architecture professors; she could critique the hell out of your work, but you always left feeling encouraged. She was great at lifting you up and allowing creativity for creativity’s sake. I’ll always remember her quick sarcastic wit, and her outlook that the world is forever amusing.
Adam Welker
Lisa is one of the most authentic souls I think the school has ever been blessed by, fully comfortable and confident in her own being. She was among the first professors I had at Ohio State after leaving the military and she opened creative and intellectual doors I didn’t even know existed. I only had her a few more times subsequently but loved her wry sense of humor and subversive wisdom on many crits through many years of school. I got to know her and Stephen better through later collaborations and was amazed at the fullness of their care for one another. A more recent memory comes from seeing them often strolling along the bike path in Clintonville, always curious what wild conversations these two beautiful minds shared. I believe many are better architects and people for knowing her, and that creative work will never rust or crumble. Thank you Lisa, you are cherished and missed.
Andrew Calhoun
A lot of pin-ups and reviews in Knowlton were met with “what your project isn’t” ; Lisa focused on “what it could be”. Instead of reacting to ideas as only good or bad, she found opportunities. Her silly observations and clever quips sparked meaningful conversations in otherwise terrifying reviews. She found a way for her skills and her personality to help her educate those around her. Lisa’s creativity was encouraging and inspiring to so many students and faculty members. Her work as a professor at KSA went far beyond her studios and seminars. She treated every student in that school as if they were her own. Lisa has permanently improved the Knowlton School of Architecture as well as anyone lucky enough to have struck up a conversation with her.
Sarah Bonser
It was my first semester teaching as an adjunct professor, and I was nervous about the reception of the student work at the final review. As all reviews go, you send out emails weeks in advance trying to schedule the jurors. My first choice was Lisa, because I knew that she would be fair: both critical and encouraging to the students. We had a great time on that final review, fall of 2013; and it gave me the encouragement that I needed. During that time, I had Lisa and Stephen over for dinner. We talked about school, but also, about friends and family, their cats and their travels together. I remember she cracked a joke about how they had named their first cat, but not the others, as they had too many to count. I most recently spent time with Lisa on a review in the spring of 2015; she asked how I was doing – Lisa was always interested in my life and in the lives of others. As both critic and mentor, friend and teacher, comedian and intellectual for so many; Lisa will remain an inspirational figure for a long time to come.
Lindsey McLaughlin
The loss of Lisa Tilder is the loss of a beloved and respected friend. I liked Lisa from the first time we met in 1991 as I was beginning my studies in architecture and she was finishing hers. Over the years Lisa was a trusted critic and my friend. My memories of her are too many to describe. All of them are fond ones that make me smile in remembrance of Lisa’s kindness, thoughtfulness, and quiet sense of humor behind such an expressive face. In Architecture, professors, the good ones, have a way of being engaged leaders and compassionate friends to their students in just the right proportion. Lisa had these qualities in abundance. It was a tremendous joy to see Lisa’s career flourish as she became a leader in her field, mentoring so many young architects. It is with great sadness that I say my farewell to her. RIP.
Robert Barry Thompson
Lisa, Your infectious joy, your ability to bring out the best in your students, your generosity, and your heart-warming laughter will always be remembered. I will remember you buying pitchers of beer in Rome, being our “mom” and warning us of the dangers of the world (then joining us on our adventures) and of course you stopping by Graeter’s to buy pints of coffee ice cream and catch up with me about life. As a young student, I remember the first day I ever caught you “outside of your natural habitat” of Knowlton buying ice cream at Jeni’s with a few other professors, and I was absolutely starstruck by some of the greatest Architecture professors out in the wild. If only I knew how humble and down to Earth you were then, I would have actually approached you. I’m so grateful to later have gotten to know you through Architecture, exploring Italy, and our shared love of all things ice cream. You wild, wonderful, and vivacious woman...you will be missed. Always, Shanna Martin-Gornall
Shanna Martin-Gornall
One of the great pleasures in working at the Knowlton School of Architecture was having my office almost next door to Lisa’s and getting to know her and see the commitment, energy, and love that she had for her students, and that they returned to her in abundance. I miss the gossip and the laughter and the brilliance. I miss seeing a long line of students swarming her office to shoot the breeze and get inspired by her. I miss seeing the proliferation of insightful, innovative, quirky, witty, and deeply critical work that she produced and which she also extracted from her students. Students liked some of their professors, but they loved Lisa. The KSA will never be the same without her and we will never forget her.
Jackie Gargus
I first had Lisa Tilder as a professor in my second year of undergrad (part of a rotation system where each professor taught an intensive two-week session on one skill). Lisa’s was photography, which was really helpful for me throughout my time in architecture. While the darkroom in Brown Hall was closed down during my time in the program, Lisa’s interest in photography continued - and it was a second course with her several years later that sticks with me. The class, a seminar I think, focused on QuickTime VR and the creative applications that could spring from digital images and photography. She was very giving of her time and resources, allowing the students to use a specialized tripod head for taking the images necessary to build a seamless panorama. She also had a great sense of humor, modeling in a few different poses for one group to assemble a project they named “The Tilder Bunch”. The joy on her face when the group presented their final project, with her image in the center of the screen pointing to each corner as different students appeared, was great to see. I really appreciated those two aspects of her personality: first, her desire to engage with changes in architecture and related professions, and to guide students to investigate the possibilities of each new development. Second, and more importantly, her unwillingness to take herself too seriously, to play along with students’ ideas and to revel in the joy she found around her. Thanks, Lisa.
Matthew Bernhardt
She was one of my first and last great memories of Ives Hall. This photo was taken at El Vaquero, celebrating at the end of the quarter.
Miranda Beystehner (Crecelius)
Lisa made an impact on the people that she didn’t work with directly. I never had Lisa for a studio professor, but I know her as a kind and good person. I had one brief interaction with her where we passed each other in the hallway at Vivian. We looked at each other and she smiled, that was it. I do not know why I remember this one instance. This was a simple act of kindness that was natural for her, undoubtedly something that many others also experienced. I heard nothing but great things about her from her students, one of which is my wife who had Lisa for studio and has used Lisa as a continuing referral over the years. Lisa was grounded, and respected among both students and faculty. In business we have hired some of Lisa’s referred students. I learned that some of her recent students had no idea what she was going through, a true sign of an exceptional teacher and mentor who wanted the students to focus on their personal development. She will be missed.
David Kaldy
I met Lisa Tilder in 1978. We were in the same 6th grade class at Lemoyne Middle School, and became friends after having a lunchtime contest to see who could fit more grapes in her mouth at once. Along with our other 2 girlfriends, Suzie (Burbank) Kubick & Carolyn (Brady) Hentz, we forged through our adolescence together, fueled by Lisa’s great sense of humor and boundless energy. She was known to many as “Tilder Power� and in addition to being a great friend, she was also a talented violinist (we played in the orchestra together, though she was much better than I), she had a great high kick (um, yes, we were both cheerleaders) and she composed amazingly perverse song parodies (ask me about this privately). It is possible that I spent more hours at her house with her vibrant, hilarious family than I did at my own. I learned so much about being in the world from them. There are so many stories I could tell about the sleepovers, the pool parties, and the (mostly) innocent teenage mischief we concocted. Lisa & I both loved making art and knew we wanted to live creative lives. After high school, she went to Penn State University to study Architecture. She loved the challenge & stimulation of studio work and the new friends she was making. I remember her telling me about this guy who was a year ahead of her that she had a crush on, how she really admired his work (and thought he was really cute). That guy, Stephen Turk, became her life partner. They both went on to graduate studies in architecture at Ohio State University and then both chose to join the faculty of the Knowlton School of Architecture, sharing their
knowledge, skills and inspiration with many fortunate and grateful students. She did amazing work there and was highly respected and beloved by her students and colleagues. Many of their memories also grace the pages of this book. Lisa grew into an amazing woman, full of light, laughter & enthusiasm (along with a healthy splash of neurosis). She loved cats and karaoke, and had honed her twisted sense of humor to perfection. We kept in touch over the years and saw each other periodically. During our last visit we shared a sense of amazement at how compatible we remained as adults, having both replaced our teenage passions for McDonald’s fries and a good tan with a desire to live in harmony with nature while enjoying a tasty tikka masala. We laughed as we remembered those early years, the glee and the embarrassments. When, exactly, did we become grownups? Lisa was my first soul sister, my biggest fan, and my warmest blanket of friendship. I feel so fortunate to have had her love, humor and support to steady me through the swirling chaos that that life can bring. Her friendship was a beacon of authenticity and grace for me, always pointing home whenever I lost my way. I hold this friendship proudly, a jeweled seed in the core of my identity, and I feel her spirit with me, an effervescence that flows around and through my heart, like a group of giggling girls on a warm summer night. May we meet again, my friend.
Linda Conley
Among the multitude things Lisa is, she is my dearest correspondent. After completing my honors project with her as advisor in winter quarter 2002, I was fortunate to have an ongoing correspondence with her. Perversely, this happened mostly through postal mail. The physical objects she mails are rich with meaning far exceeding any written message, and frequently irreverent. The pictured postcard was sent to Lisa on March 9, 2011 while I was on a family vacation in Orlando, Florida. Without Lisa’s influence, I would never have fantasized about two below-grade floors to complete the spherical building, or what sort of nefarious activities might happen there. She returned the card without annotation (perhaps the most meaningful of all replies) by hand August 28, 2015, in Columbus, Ohio, when I last saw her.
Matthew Ford